Nan
She would bear the pain ,she had to believe in him..
Come on brat..he held out his hand
You can do it-I know you can.."
She
did and the summer was magical.She had just turned eighteen and he was
twenty four,a doctor who was doing his intern stint in a rural area as
part of the course to get a degree in the area of his
specialization,orthopedics.
At
last fate seemed to be smiling upon her.Born with a hunched back,she had always been at the receiving
end of cruel jokes,taunts,old wives' tales,the scary bogey person to the children who were
disciplined revoking her as the ultimate threat.
A life of unending physical pain,she had accepted it as her fate.
Fate that her birth mother ( a child herself) hoped would provide her a fighting chance-thereby abandoning her premature female child at the hospital steps.
The maid Radha, who came early morning to clean, picked up what she thought was a food basket,only to see a puckered face almost blue from hunger ,barely alive.Thinking on her feet,she requested the matron on duty to save the child.Sister Alicia,a dedicated Catholic nun who volunteered as a nurse was moved and set about doing all she could.Fortunately the incubator was available and so was the oxygen tank.
The damage was done though,her spine was bent and the hump on her back was obvious.
No one will want this waif,her back will not straighten up,reasoned the maid who decided to care for her on her own.Her meager earnings would be just enough and she would have a purpose in life.Curious to know about the new arrival,most were satisfied with her explanation that she was her grand daughter ,left behind by her daughter who lived in the city.Getting legal papers was a trade off,a whole days' work at the beck and call during the wedding reception at the lawyers house in exchange for custody papers of the malformed little infant.
This is no weeping willow,she realized,as the child soon grew strong and healthy,quickly learning to walk and talk.
Fed on fresh milk from Sita, the cow, the only asset Radha owned,Nandhini ,the little waif soon blossomed.
Radha milked her cow and sold it fresh to her customers as little Nandhini at ten months would run around the stall.She trailed the old lady,plucking flowers,waded into the water to collect the lotus buds,walked the forest paths collecting marikolunthu,kanagambarams,
Nandini grew up bright ,observant,playful,cheeky,
When Nandhini turned five the temple priest suggested that she attend the village school as she was quiet,shy,but quick to learn.She already could deftly string flowers beautifully,knew colors,fragrance,names ,when and what to use for each occasion.She was street smart,came and went soundlessly,a tiny shadow copying the survival skills of her adopted mother.When
Vadhiyar mami(the temple priests wife) enrolled her at school along with her own daughter,Meera so the two could attend school together,Nandini was thrilled.Curious and inquisitive,she was a fast learner.Life took new meaning....
It was as if the heavens opened up.By no means easy but she soon learned to swallow the taunts,snide remarks,obscene gestures and curses of fellow students and society,using each such barb as a mechanism to steel herself to achieve more.
Soon she was far ahead of the class and helped Meera to cope.Meera was a beautiful child with fair lovely looks,long lustrous hair and a dimpled smile but slow to understand.The irony was that Radha looked like a simpleton yet had a brilliant mind,Meera looked intelligent and sophisticated but was a poor study.Such was the irony of Fate.
The Village school only catered up to fourth grade,High school was in town,almost two hundred miles away.The decision by Meeras' parents to send both girls to school there meant boarding and lodging as also fees and other costs. The Vadyhar couple knew that due to limitations, their only daughter,Meera needed Nandhini to help her out as much as Nandhini needed their financial help .Radha agreed to move into their house to help out with the daily dawn to dusk routines which running a temple involved,in return for their financial help with tuition and other costs involved schooling in town.
The duo were inseparable.Often teased and taunted by the city bred ,rich classmates ,they stuck together and progressed.Survival skills were inborn and came easily to Nandhini and she was very protective of Meera who showed signs of slow mental capacity,speech deficiency and clung to her even more.Unwilling to leave her behind,Nandhini worked with her continually repeating,reading,explaining,
Nandhini excelled and Meera just managed to get through.They were both so happy as they returned to the Village.
Meeras' parents arranged for her wedding that summer .The groom was an aspiring MBA student in a far off land whose parents were lured by her beauty and the dowry she would bring with her...
Nandhini was happy to be with Radha again.They discussed what the future looked like and her options and decided to just enjoy the summer.
She was humming a tune as she weaved the flowers, engrossed in the turn out of colors and precision of the perfect garland that would adorn the Lord Guruvaurappa.Her face lit up and she smiled as she imagined it all in her mind..Feeling a warmth on her face ,she lifted her eyes and looked straight into those of a youth who seemed mesmerized by her.Oh just another visitor curious about her hunchback.
Eyes downcast she continued weaving the colorful mala.
He walked over and knelt down.Inquiring the price of the finished garland he opened his wallet and held out two hundred Rupees.She declined indicating the garland was not for sale,but he insisted on narrating his reason.He had just completed his Degree in Medicine and had moved to the village to do his internship at the district hospital some distance away.
He needed a place to stay,home cooked meals and company during his stay at the village for a period of six months.
Well,since they stayed in the temple outhouse,their small but clean mud house was free, in no way a fancy place, but practical and readily available.
She would ask her mother Radha and tell him.
It was then that she realized that he was a man on a mission,he insisted they find Radha and ask her at once.
It was time to hand over the garland to the temple priest so he could adorn the deity.She knew her mother would come by soon to join in the aarti or deeparadhana that was performed every evening at 7 pm.
Acutely aware that the young man had seen her disfigurement,she seemed to shrink within as the silence deepened, the sounds of the temple bells tolling the worship of the temple deity filled in.Radha joined her and looked at the youth as she intuitively sensed her daughters discomfort. Standing between the two she soon figured out the solution.He could stay in their house if he would coach her for the entrance exams to gain College admission.
Thus began the start of a blossoming friendship.He seemed to not even be aware of her deformed body,she bloomed in his presence.They spent every possible minute together,she cooked and kept the little cottage clean.Soon they chartered out the material for her preparation,he helped her get the books,notes,files,application forms ,date of submission.The progress was astonishing as she was so enthusiastic,days flew by.
The exam over,they met to discuss the possible outcome. She seemed shy and at a loss of words.He too was silent. They both began speaking at the same time. The ice broken,he gently asked her if she would allow him to examine her back .He had been reading up a lot and needed her permission to see if anything could be done.
Radha was consulted,and she,an eternal optimist cheered them on. The x-rays showed the disfigured bone structure.Consulting with his team in Mumbai and with inputs from surgeons the world over he decided to do the operation himself.She had every confidence in him,he would come through,..
If it did not work she would continue as she had so far...
They arrived at Mumbai where he had made arrangements to operate in the best facility available.
After four hours of surgery,he walked out weary and shaking..it was his first bone corrective surgery,everything had gone as planned and now they had to let Nature take over.
Radha waited at the hospital wait room with Meera who was in Mumbai after her wedding ,waiting to join her husband overseas.
Three days later Nandini and Radha left for their home back in the village.They would know when the local doctor opened the cast after twelve weeks.The surgeon was nowhere to be seen.
This is where we are back to the start of the story line.
"Thoughts and memories kept her alive
She would bear the pain ,she had to believe in him.
Come on brat..he held out his hand
You can do it-I know you can.."
She did not know why he had not come by to see her,but knew he had a very valid reason as she trusted him with her whole being. She clung to Radha,her mother, they both called upon their trust and faith in the Almighty.
The day finally dawned and they were at the clinic,quietly waiting for the nurse to call her in.
The protocol of height/weight,blood test,BP checkup done,she was wheeled into the semi darkened room.The tall figure in white overalls seemed familiar.He turned and smiled and she felt her heart stabilizing..he had come after all.
The anesthesia took over.
Three hours later,she opened her eyes.Focusing on the stout figure of her mother,she sensed a movement at the bed side.He helped her to sit up.and smiled the biggest heart warming smile she wished for.Her back was straight and she looked so much taller.
Standing up she looked into the mirror and for the first time saw herself as others did.The sweet brow,heart shaped face.gentle eyes full of pain and sorrow,cascading hair,slim figure.
He nodded as tears welled up ,both overcome by emotion.
Beckoning to a frail figure ,he walked out of the room and indicated she should too.
There on a wheel chair sat a frail,gentle lady,who was in pain but still smiled weakly.
The familiarity of her features was so overwhelming ,she had to be...Well today was her day of surprises..
Radha watched as she embraced her mother and her brother looked on.
The story unraveled soon. Nitya, the daughter of a laborer had been married off by her poor parents to a farm hand.She was barely ten when she had a baby boy, and was sixteen and abandoned, when the little girl was born.Her deformity meant she would have to be killed as was done in villages those days.Fighting back her sorrow, and willing the fates to smile upon her daughter,the young single mother had left her baby at the hospital steps...
Against all odds she had nurtured her son,sent him to medical school all the while keeping track of her little daughter who she knew was being well taken care off by the local hospital inmate.
Her brother embraced her and wiped away the tears.Years of hard work,back breaking toil had weakened their indomitable mother who was now recovering from TB.
Radha too came in and smiled warmly at the courageous lady who had overcome insurmountable odds.
She embraced her, hugged her and whispered ,loving words a mother would.
They would take care and get her well again.
Now Radha(64) had her daughter Nitya(34), her grand children Venu(24) and Nandhini(18),so the family was complete.They would love and cherish their togetherness.
Life had more meaning.Fate and trust saved them all.
Fate that her birth mother ( a child herself) hoped would provide her a fighting chance-thereby abandoning her premature female child at the hospital steps.
The maid Radha, who came early morning to clean, picked up what she thought was a food basket,only to see a puckered face almost blue from hunger ,barely alive.Thinking on her feet,she requested the matron on duty to save the child.Sister Alicia,a dedicated Catholic nun who volunteered as a nurse was moved and set about doing all she could.Fortunately the incubator was available and so was the oxygen tank.
The damage was done though,her spine was bent and the hump on her back was obvious.
No one will want this waif,her back will not straighten up,reasoned the maid who decided to care for her on her own.Her meager earnings would be just enough and she would have a purpose in life.Curious to know about the new arrival,most were satisfied with her explanation that she was her grand daughter ,left behind by her daughter who lived in the city.Getting legal papers was a trade off,a whole days' work at the beck and call during the wedding reception at the lawyers house in exchange for custody papers of the malformed little infant.
This is no weeping willow,she realized,as the child soon grew strong and healthy,quickly learning to walk and talk.
Fed on fresh milk from Sita, the cow, the only asset Radha owned,Nandhini ,the little waif soon blossomed.
Radha milked her cow and sold it fresh to her customers as little Nandhini at ten months would run around the stall.She trailed the old lady,plucking flowers,waded into the water to collect the lotus buds,walked the forest paths collecting marikolunthu,kanagambarams,
Nandini grew up bright ,observant,playful,cheeky,
When Nandhini turned five the temple priest suggested that she attend the village school as she was quiet,shy,but quick to learn.She already could deftly string flowers beautifully,knew colors,fragrance,names ,when and what to use for each occasion.She was street smart,came and went soundlessly,a tiny shadow copying the survival skills of her adopted mother.When
Vadhiyar mami(the temple priests wife) enrolled her at school along with her own daughter,Meera so the two could attend school together,Nandini was thrilled.Curious and inquisitive,she was a fast learner.Life took new meaning....
It was as if the heavens opened up.By no means easy but she soon learned to swallow the taunts,snide remarks,obscene gestures and curses of fellow students and society,using each such barb as a mechanism to steel herself to achieve more.
Soon she was far ahead of the class and helped Meera to cope.Meera was a beautiful child with fair lovely looks,long lustrous hair and a dimpled smile but slow to understand.The irony was that Radha looked like a simpleton yet had a brilliant mind,Meera looked intelligent and sophisticated but was a poor study.Such was the irony of Fate.
The Village school only catered up to fourth grade,High school was in town,almost two hundred miles away.The decision by Meeras' parents to send both girls to school there meant boarding and lodging as also fees and other costs. The Vadyhar couple knew that due to limitations, their only daughter,Meera needed Nandhini to help her out as much as Nandhini needed their financial help .Radha agreed to move into their house to help out with the daily dawn to dusk routines which running a temple involved,in return for their financial help with tuition and other costs involved schooling in town.
The duo were inseparable.Often teased and taunted by the city bred ,rich classmates ,they stuck together and progressed.Survival skills were inborn and came easily to Nandhini and she was very protective of Meera who showed signs of slow mental capacity,speech deficiency and clung to her even more.Unwilling to leave her behind,Nandhini worked with her continually repeating,reading,explaining,
Nandhini excelled and Meera just managed to get through.They were both so happy as they returned to the Village.
Meeras' parents arranged for her wedding that summer .The groom was an aspiring MBA student in a far off land whose parents were lured by her beauty and the dowry she would bring with her...
Nandhini was happy to be with Radha again.They discussed what the future looked like and her options and decided to just enjoy the summer.
She was humming a tune as she weaved the flowers, engrossed in the turn out of colors and precision of the perfect garland that would adorn the Lord Guruvaurappa.Her face lit up and she smiled as she imagined it all in her mind..Feeling a warmth on her face ,she lifted her eyes and looked straight into those of a youth who seemed mesmerized by her.Oh just another visitor curious about her hunchback.
Eyes downcast she continued weaving the colorful mala.
He walked over and knelt down.Inquiring the price of the finished garland he opened his wallet and held out two hundred Rupees.She declined indicating the garland was not for sale,but he insisted on narrating his reason.He had just completed his Degree in Medicine and had moved to the village to do his internship at the district hospital some distance away.
He needed a place to stay,home cooked meals and company during his stay at the village for a period of six months.
Well,since they stayed in the temple outhouse,their small but clean mud house was free, in no way a fancy place, but practical and readily available.
She would ask her mother Radha and tell him.
It was then that she realized that he was a man on a mission,he insisted they find Radha and ask her at once.
It was time to hand over the garland to the temple priest so he could adorn the deity.She knew her mother would come by soon to join in the aarti or deeparadhana that was performed every evening at 7 pm.
Acutely aware that the young man had seen her disfigurement,she seemed to shrink within as the silence deepened, the sounds of the temple bells tolling the worship of the temple deity filled in.Radha joined her and looked at the youth as she intuitively sensed her daughters discomfort. Standing between the two she soon figured out the solution.He could stay in their house if he would coach her for the entrance exams to gain College admission.
Thus began the start of a blossoming friendship.He seemed to not even be aware of her deformed body,she bloomed in his presence.They spent every possible minute together,she cooked and kept the little cottage clean.Soon they chartered out the material for her preparation,he helped her get the books,notes,files,application forms ,date of submission.The progress was astonishing as she was so enthusiastic,days flew by.
The exam over,they met to discuss the possible outcome. She seemed shy and at a loss of words.He too was silent. They both began speaking at the same time. The ice broken,he gently asked her if she would allow him to examine her back .He had been reading up a lot and needed her permission to see if anything could be done.
Radha was consulted,and she,an eternal optimist cheered them on. The x-rays showed the disfigured bone structure.Consulting with his team in Mumbai and with inputs from surgeons the world over he decided to do the operation himself.She had every confidence in him,he would come through,..
If it did not work she would continue as she had so far...
They arrived at Mumbai where he had made arrangements to operate in the best facility available.
After four hours of surgery,he walked out weary and shaking..it was his first bone corrective surgery,everything had gone as planned and now they had to let Nature take over.
Radha waited at the hospital wait room with Meera who was in Mumbai after her wedding ,waiting to join her husband overseas.
Three days later Nandini and Radha left for their home back in the village.They would know when the local doctor opened the cast after twelve weeks.The surgeon was nowhere to be seen.
This is where we are back to the start of the story line.
"Thoughts and memories kept her alive
She would bear the pain ,she had to believe in him.
Come on brat..he held out his hand
You can do it-I know you can.."
She did not know why he had not come by to see her,but knew he had a very valid reason as she trusted him with her whole being. She clung to Radha,her mother, they both called upon their trust and faith in the Almighty.
The day finally dawned and they were at the clinic,quietly waiting for the nurse to call her in.
The protocol of height/weight,blood test,BP checkup done,she was wheeled into the semi darkened room.The tall figure in white overalls seemed familiar.He turned and smiled and she felt her heart stabilizing..he had come after all.
The anesthesia took over.
Three hours later,she opened her eyes.Focusing on the stout figure of her mother,she sensed a movement at the bed side.He helped her to sit up.and smiled the biggest heart warming smile she wished for.Her back was straight and she looked so much taller.
Standing up she looked into the mirror and for the first time saw herself as others did.The sweet brow,heart shaped face.gentle eyes full of pain and sorrow,cascading hair,slim figure.
He nodded as tears welled up ,both overcome by emotion.
Beckoning to a frail figure ,he walked out of the room and indicated she should too.
There on a wheel chair sat a frail,gentle lady,who was in pain but still smiled weakly.
The familiarity of her features was so overwhelming ,she had to be...Well today was her day of surprises..
Radha watched as she embraced her mother and her brother looked on.
The story unraveled soon. Nitya, the daughter of a laborer had been married off by her poor parents to a farm hand.She was barely ten when she had a baby boy, and was sixteen and abandoned, when the little girl was born.Her deformity meant she would have to be killed as was done in villages those days.Fighting back her sorrow, and willing the fates to smile upon her daughter,the young single mother had left her baby at the hospital steps...
Against all odds she had nurtured her son,sent him to medical school all the while keeping track of her little daughter who she knew was being well taken care off by the local hospital inmate.
Her brother embraced her and wiped away the tears.Years of hard work,back breaking toil had weakened their indomitable mother who was now recovering from TB.
Radha too came in and smiled warmly at the courageous lady who had overcome insurmountable odds.
She embraced her, hugged her and whispered ,loving words a mother would.
They would take care and get her well again.
Now Radha(64) had her daughter Nitya(34), her grand children Venu(24) and Nandhini(18),so the family was complete.They would love and cherish their togetherness.
Life had more meaning.Fate and trust saved them all.
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